Device for dispensing protective gloves

ABSTRACT

A device for dispensing gloves used to protect from germs and the like has a housing forming a substantially vertically extending inner chamber and configured for accommodating a stack of packages each containing gloves, a rotatable transporting element having one portion extending outwardly of the housing to be activated by a user and another portion extending inwardly into the housing such that when a stack of packages with gloves is introduced into the inner chamber it rests on the transporting element, a dispensing window providing in the housing, so that when the transporting member is turned by a user a lower most one of the packages with gloves is transported by the transporting element from the inner chamber of the housing through the dispensing opening outwardly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device for dispensing protective gloves.

Protective gloves are used in different areas, for example in medicine for covering the hands of medical personnel to prevent contamination, in food industry for covering hands of a personnel who serves food, etc. With the existing solutions it is not convenient to separate one pair of gloves from the remaining gloves, and there is a risk of contamination of the remaining gloves during taking the first pair of gloves. It is believed that it is advisable to improve dispension of protective gloves.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for dispensing protective gloves, which eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art.

In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a device for dispensing gloves used to protect from germs and the like, comprising a housing forming a substantially vertically extending inner chamber and configured for accommodating a stack of packages each containing gloves; a rotatable transporting element having one portion extending outwardly of the housing to be activated by a user and another portion extending inwardly into said housing, such that when a stack of packages with gloves is introduced into said inner chamber it rests on said transporting element; a dispensing window provided in said housing, so that when said transporting member is turned by a user a lowermost one of the packages with gloves is transported by said transporting element from said inner chamber of said housing through said dispensing opening outwardly.

Another feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in that the inner chamber is subdivided into two subchambers each accommodating a stack of the packages with gloves; one transporting element extends into one of said subchambers, and another transporting element extends into the other of said subchambers, said dispensing window is provided in a region of said one subchamber and a second dispensing window provided in a region of the other subchamber, so that by activating said first transporting member or said second transporting member the packages from said one subchamber and the packages from said other subchamber are dispensable through said first window and through said second window correspondingly.

A further feature of the present invention resides in means for subdividing said inner chamber into said two subchambers and including a separating wall, with each of said transporting members having a supporting end rotatably supported in said separating wall.

A further feature of the present invention resides in an additional partition which is insertable substantially vertically in said inner chamber and movable transversely, so as to change a transverse cross-section of said inner chamber to bring it in correspondence with a transverse size of the packages with gloves.

A further feature of the present invention resides in that said transporting member has a surface which is enhanced for engaging the package with the gloves.

A further feature of the present invention resides in that said enhancing means is configured as a roughened surface of said transporting member.

A further feature of the present invention resides in that said enhancing means include individual strips provided on the surface of said transporting member and having a roughened surface so as to simultaneously improve engagement with the package with gloves and also impart a pushing force to it.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional perspective view of a device for dispensing protective gloves in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view showing an elevational vertical cross-section of the inventive device for dispensing gloves;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the inventive method for dispensing protective gloves; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are views showing two different embodiments of a transporting element of the inventive device for dispensing protective gloves.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A device for dispensing packages with protective gloves has a housing which is identified with reference numeral 1. The housing 1 has a bottom wall 2, a top wall 3 and side walls 4, 5, 6, 7.

The housing 1 defines with its walls an inner chamber 8 which can be subdivided into two subchambers 9 and 10 separated from one another by an intermediate partition 11. It is to be understood that the device can have only one inner chamber and not two as shown in the exemplary embodiment.

A stack of packages 12 with gloves inside is loaded into each subchamber 9 and 10, vertically placed one on top of the other.

The housing 1 further has dispensing openings 15 and 16. The size of the dispensing openings 15 and 16 is selected so that only one package 12 with the gloves can pass through it at a time.

The device further has transporting means for transporting the packages one after the other from the inner chamber 8. The transporting means include a transporting element, which in this particular embodiment with two subchambers 9 and 10 includes two transporting members 13 and 14. The transporting members 13 and 14 are rotatably supported in the housing and formed, for example, as cylinders, rods, etc. One end of each transporting member 13 and 14 extends outwardly beyond the housing to be grasped by a user. The other end is located inside the housing and preferably rotatably supported in a blind hole of the intermediate partition 11. The area between two opposite ends of each of the transporting members 13 constitutes an active area of the transporting member and is configured for transporting the packages 12 from the subchambers 9 and 10.

The housing 1 of the inventive device further has dispensing opening means for dispensing packages from the inner chamber 8. In the shown embodiment with two subchambers 9 and 10 two dispensing openings 15 and 16 are provided, for example in the front wall 6, and associated with a corresponding one of the subchambers 8 and 9 and a corresponding one of the transporting members 13 and 14.

The device operates in the following manner:

A stack of the packages 12 with gloves inside is placed in each of the subchambers 8 and 9 so that the packages are located one above the other in a vertical direction and rest with the lowermost package on the corresponding transporting member 13 and 14.

When a user turns the transporting member 13 or 14, the outer surface of the transporting member engages the lower surface of the lower package and displaces the package toward and through the corresponding dispensing opening outwardly, to be taken by a user. The next package located above in the vertical direction now rests on the surface of the corresponding transporting member to be dispensed when needed.

In order to improve the displacement of the package with the gloves by the transporting member, the transporting member can be provided with means for enhancing the engagement with the package, formed for example as a roughened or adhesive surface of the corresponding transporting member as shown in FIG. 4. In accordance with another embodiment, it is possible to provide a plurality of strips 17 on the corresponding transporting member, which strips can also have a roughened or adhesive surface. Therefore each strip improves the engagement of the transporting member with the lower surface of the package, and at the same time pushes the transporting package eventually toward and through the dispensing opening, thus performing two functions at the same time.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a device for dispensing tong depressors, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention. 

1. A device for dispensing gloves used to protect from germs and the like, comprising a housing forming a substantially vertically extending inner chamber and configured for accommodating a stack of packages each containing gloves; a rotatable transporting element having one portion extending outwardly of the housing to be activated by a user and another portion extending inwardly into said housing such that when the stack of packages with gloves is introduced into said inner chamber it rests on said transporting element; a dispensing window provided in said housing, so that when said transporting element is turned by a user a lowermost one of the packages with gloves is transported by said transporting element from said inner chamber of said housing through said dispensing opening outwardly.
 2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said inner chamber is subdivided into two subchambers each accommodating a stack of the packages with gloves; said transporting element extending into one of said subchambers; and further comprising a second transporting element extending into the other of said subchambers, said dispensing window being provided in a region of said one subchamber; and a second dispensing window provided in a region of the other of said other subchamber, so that by activating said first transporting member or said second transporting member the packages from said one subchamber and the packages from said other subchamber are dispensable through said first window and through said second window correspondingly.
 3. A device as defined in claim 2; and further comprising means for subdividing said inner chamber into said two subchambers and including a separating wall, each of said transporting members having a supporting end rotatably supported in said separating wall.
 4. A device as defined in claim 1; and further comprising an additional partition which is insertable substantially vertically in said inner chamber and movable transversely so as to change a transverse cross-section of said inner chamber to bring it in correspondence with a transverse size of the packages with gloves.
 5. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said transporting member has a surface which is enhanced for engaging the package with the gloves.
 6. A device as defined in claim 5, wherein said enhancing means is configured as a roughened surface of said transporting member.
 7. A device as defined in claim 5, wherein said enhancing means include individual strips provided on the surface of said transporting member and having a roughened surface so as to simultaneously improve engagement with the package with gloves and impart a pushing force to it. 